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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · swing · march · temple · game · key · mug · date

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. date — the fruit
  3. tube — the underground
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. march — music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. mug — a face
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mug — a cup
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. march — the month
  16. tube — a container
  17. key — for a lock
  18. march — the month
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mug — to rob
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com